This is always an interesting one. Usually I add lots of content before I am home and write this paqe. But this year I am home, have posted almost nothing, and was curious about the money, so here it is. Through all these “cycle” trips, where I go to Cancun, LA or Portugal and ride for 2 weeks, the general average run rate has stayed amazingly flat at 1500 dollars a week. That includes everything: food, drinks, bus to air, air, etc. You can look at the money page on most of the other trips on tompears.com and see the same thing.
It was my impression that things went up a little in recent years after Covid. I think this year we really see the effect of my VERY reduced drinking, I am down to 1 beer a day. It is a high class Belgium beer in my room last thing at night, This is not by choice. My liver is saying it has had enough. I am not in any pain but the tests are showing that it is fatty, getting fatter, and so far I have been able to compromise at this level. I certainly enjoyed Cancun this year, as you hopefully will be able to read more in the coming weeks. The liver keeps its own counsel. We will not know until years later if I have cut back enough or if ….
Drumroll! Flight and bus to and from Logan airport came in at $330! Delta air, I love you, direct 3-4 hours Boston Cancun. Room is 600 at Casa Fuego. This is like the 7th year in the same suite. As you can see from the pictures I have my own entrance, bathroom, small kitchen etc and I am slightly connected to their hostel. Bike is $580 and that includes a new 60$ light to replace one that I brought and fell off and a new mount I ordered for my go pro! This is my 10th year renting from Elite Cyclery in Cancun. In all that time, only one flat!!! They throw in a helmet, lock, repair kit and even 2 spare tubes that I return at the end. I ride with their shop group on mon,wed,fri,sat,sun. We tip the chase car driver 100 peso. (That cash is counted into the cash account below).
I put most meals and supermarket on the credit card. It was $650 this year. Cash is a little more loose-goose. Each year I bring a wad from the year before and take home a wad to help me with first days he next year. When I first get into Cancun, I have to move into the hostel, get the bike and go to the market. I do not want to be strapped also needing to go to the bank. I say I spent about $200 in cash. A lot of that is the $7 tip daily at lunch, $25 dollar room tip leaving and $15 trips to the airport. The airport is a real scam! The major bus company, ADO, does run service to the from downtown Cancun. It used to be $5 and is now closer to $10. Other taxi and shuttle avenues start at $20 and jump to $50. That ADO bus takes a long time, stopping at all 4 terminals just as you are really ready to be here! I have had some success walking through the throngs of taxi holding a $20 bill and refusing to pay more but usually I have to pay at least some more by the end of the negotiations. This year I went to the airport an extra time to see if I could not retrieve my lost phone. No luck.
So Flight $330, Room $600, Bike $580 Credit Card $650 Cash $200 equals 2360, divided by 2 weeks is 1180 a week, way down from 1500. Portugal, Lagos, is the most comparable trip. We will see in a couple months what that brings, I assume the strong dollar also contributed to these results.